Cameroonemide A: a new ceramide from Helichrysum cameroonense

Abstract

From the extracts of all parts of the plant Helichrysum cameroonense, five compounds were isolated and identified. One of them, a ceramide, named cameroonemide A (1), is reported for the first time as a new natural product. Its structure was determined by comprehensive analyses of their 1D and 2D NMR and HR-EI-MS spectral data. The remaining four known compounds were identified by comparing their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature as kaurenoic acid (2), 3-acetyloxykaurenoic acid (3), β-sitosterol (4), and β-sitosterol glucopyranoside (5). Preliminary studies showed that 3-acetyloxykaurenoic acid (3) inhibited the alga Chlorella fusca, while kaurenoic acid (2) showed strong antibacterial activity against Bacillus megaterium.

Keywords:

• Helichrysum cameroonense
• Asteraceae
• ceramide
• antimicrobial activity

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation for the fellowship awarded to S.F.K at the University of Paderborn, Germany.